Article exchange mechanism



June 28, 1932. R. N. JOHNSTON ARTICLE EXCHANGE MECHANISM 4 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Aug. 6, 1930 z 6 5 MW 9 5 fi w m MN W gwuwiou fiosmr N dam/5mm June 28, 1932. R N JOHNSTON ARTICLE EXCHANGE MECHANISM Filed Aug. 6, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 3mm IPOBERT N (Jam/570M June 28, 1932. N JOHNSTON 1,864,913

ARTICLE EXCHANGE MECHANISM Filed Aug. 6, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Gum June R. N JOHNSTON ARTICLE EXCHANGE MECHANISM Filed Aug. 6, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 23, 1932 I 1 4 913 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT aonivs'ron, or LINDSBORG, KANSAS ARTICLE EXCHANGE MECHANISM Application filed Au ust 6, 1930. Serial No. 473,436.

The object of the present invention is to with an article-carrying yoke 17. Thisyoke provide a novel, relatively simple, and efl'ecis detachably mounted at the rear end of the tive means for delivering articles, as for eX- entrance throat formed by the rods-9 and is ample, mail and packages, to airplanes and shown in position in Figures 1 2and 1. The

) from airplanes to a ground station. mechanism for supporting it is as follows- 55 A further and important object is to so The portion of the cross rod 8 between the construct this means that it may be employed side rods 9 is slotted in its front sidey as for exchanging the goods between a ground shown at 18 (see Figures 4 and torestation and an airplane. ceive the rear side of said yoke 17. 'Thefront In the accompanying drawings: portion of the yoke is detachably engaged Figure 1 is a front elevation of the prebetween jaws 19 carried on the inner ends ferred embodiment of the invention, and of arms 20 pivoted at 21 on the side rods showing the exchange or aerial device in sec- *9. The jaws can thus be swung inwardly to tion. engage the opposite front portions of'the 15 Figure 2 is a top plan view of the ground yoke. This yoke, it will be noted,has an'open station apparatus and with the parts in conside 22 which is placed forwardly, as indidition to make a delivery. cated in Figure 2. In order to hold the Figure 3 is a similar View showingthe jaws 19 in their operative positions, or'in parts after the delivery has been made. other words in engagement with the yoke, Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on the the outer ends of the arms 20 are each conline 4-4: of Figure 1. nectedto one of a pair of toggle links 23'24. Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure 4, but One of the links, as 23, is pivoted, as shown illustrating the parts as an exchange is takat 25 to the arm 20. The other link is pivi placa oted at 26 on an adjacent portion of the sup- 7 Figure 6 is a top plan view of the aerial porting frame.' The links are provided with 7 device with one of the article-carrying suitable stops 27 that limit their movements yokes in place thereon, and may be considin one direction and'hold' the jaws 19 in enered as taken on the line 66 of Figure 1. gagement with the yoke 17. Springs 28 f are In the embodiment disclosed, a supportconnected to said arms 20 and operate when ing frame is employed, preferably includthe arms are freed to swing the-jaws'19 away B0 i ng rear legs 7 connected at their upper ends from theyoke 17 by a cross rod or bar 8. From this cross For the purpose of breaking the toggles bar 8 extend forwardly projecting parallel and permitting the springs 28 to operate, a rods or bars 9, the front ends'of which are trip device is employed which in e connected to divergent legs 10. It will be rockeshaft 29 journaled on the frame behind understood that the legs 7 and 10 are suitthe cross bar 8 and having an upstanding ably anchored. Projecting rearwardly from plate 30 secured thereto. The upper portion the cross bar 8 are other parallel horizontal of this plate extends forwardly over the yoke, rods or frame bars 12, on which is supported and is forked, as shown at 31- ThiS r 7 a platform 13, this platform being intended shaft also carries forwardly extending arms to support the article that is to be delivered 32 terminating in downturned cam fingers from the ground station. In the present in- 33, which bear against the inner sidesof the stance, it is shown as a bag let. The forwardlinks 24 (see Figure 2). It will be'ev-ident ly projecting bars 9 constitute an entrance thatif the forked portion 31 is drawn upfl throat for the exchange mechanism, and Wardly, the cams 38 will act to swing the mounted on the front portions of said bars links 24 outwardly until they are past the are forwardlydivergent guide rods 15. dead center, whereupon the springs .28 can The bag or article to be delivered from the act and swing the jaws 19 outwardly. {The ground station to an airplane or other aerial springs 28 are connected to the outer ends of transport is connected by chains orca'bles 16 a tension plate 3e that is located between the supporting means for the yoke 17 and the forked portion 31 of the plate 30. This tension plate 34 has a central forwardly projecting extension 35 that is notched, as shown at 36, this portion lying just above the yoke. When the plate 34 is swung upwardly, it obviously puts additional tension on the springs Mounted on the forward edge of the platform and directly above the forked portion 31 of the plate 30, is a forwardly extending bafiie plate 37, whose forward portion is also forked, as shown at 38. This plate 37 is normally held downwardly or in horizontal position by a coiled spring 39.

The exchange device, and which may be entitled the aerial member, is in the form of an elongated head 40. It consists of a tubular body 41 having a tapered upper end portion 42 connected to a cable 43, which is suitably fastened to a frame, or is by any other means connected to an airplane or ii e transport. r

The body has its lower portion longitudinally slotted, as shown at 44, and pivotally mounted in said body, are supporting finger members 45 having fingers 46 and 47 adapt-- ed to alternately be projected beyond the body, accordingly as the members 4 are turned. These members 45 have gear segments 48 on their inner sides engaged with racks 49 formed in a reciprocatory tubular rack bar 50 that is mounted. in the body 41. In the upper end of the tubular body 41 are longitudinal slots 51 from which project pivotally mounted trip fingers 52 having on their inner sides gear segments 53 engaged in rack portions 54 formed in the upper end of the tubular rack bar 50. A spring 55 bears on the upper end of the rack bar 50 to urge it downwardly. Another spring 56, surrounding the lower end of the rack bar, is abutted against an internal collar 57 fixed in the body 51 and against a plunger 58 secured to the lower end of the rack bar 50 and slidable in the lower end of the body. The rack bar 50 is thus urged downwardly to cause the fingers 46 and 52rto normally. maintain a pro jecting relation But it is obvious that if sufiicient downward force is directed against the trip fingers 52, the rack bar 50 will be raised within the body 41, causing the fingers 46 to move downwardly, and at the same time causing the fingers 47 to be projected.

For the purpose of delivering articles from the aerial transport to the ground station, a second yoke 59 is employed, which corresponds to the yoke 17 already described. This yoke 59 is connectedby chains or cables 60 to a bag 61 or other container, and is detachablymounted on the aerial device 40 by em bracing the same and being supported by the fingers 46.

It is believed that the operation of the apparatus can now be explained. Assuming that an exchange is to take place, or in other words, that a bag of mail is to be delivered from the ground station to an airplane, and that similarly a bag of mail is to be delivered from the airplane to the ground station, at the ground station the bag 14 connected to the yoke 17 is placed on the platform 13 and the yoke 17 mounted in the mechanism and in the manner described above. The parts are then in the position shown in Figure 2. The operator on the airplane has also mounted the bag 61 to be delivered to the ground station by suspending it through the medium of the yoke 59 on the fingers 46 of the aerial device 40'. The pilot, with the bag 1 and the aerial device 40 suspended from the airplane, so directs the latter that the ca ble 43 enters the guideway formed by the arms 15 and frame bars 9, with the aerial device 40 below the yoke 17, or as represented in Figures 1 and 4. As the airplane passes, obviously the aerial device 40 will be drawn upwardly when the cable 43 reaches the rear of the guideway between the frame bars 9. When tnis takes place, and as illustrated in Figure 5, the head 42 of the aerial device will first strike the tension plate 35 and swing it upwardly, thereby putting tension on the springs 28 which operate the jaws 17. A continued movement causes said head 42 to engage in the fork 31 of the plate 30, thereby rocking the shaft 29, swinging the arm upwardly, and causing the cams 33 to break the toggles 2324, thereby permitting the tensioned springs 28 to act and release the yoke 17. he upper end of the aerial device having slipped into this yoke, starts to elevate it and the yoke 17 operating on the trip fingers 52 will swing the same, thereby elevating the rack bar 50, swinging downwardly and inwardly the fingers 46, releasing the yoke 59 and allowing the bag 61 to be deposited at the ground station. Upon the inward movement of the fingers 46, the fingers 47 will obviously be projected and the yoke 17 slipping past the trip fingers 52, will be come engaged with and supported by the fingers 47 so that the bag 14 of the ground station is now supported on the aerial device, and they can be elevated up to the airplane and removed by an operator on the airplane. In this exchanging operation, and as shown in Figure'5, the plate 37 acts as a baffle which tends to swing the aerial device 40 outwardly from the mechanism beneath the trip plate 37 and insure the passage of the aerial device 4G through the mechanism without being caught or creating injury.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim, is:

1. In article exchange mechanism, the combination with an article carrying yoke, of a mounting for the same including a jaw that is movable to and from engagement with the yoke, toggle links for holding the jaw in such engagement, a trip for moving the links to release the yoke from the aw, and an aerial device for carrying off the yoke and operating the trip.

2. In article exchange mechanism, the combination with an article carrying yoke, of a mounting for the same including a jaw that is movable to and from engagement with the yoke, toggle links for holding the jaw in such engagement, a trip movably mounted above the yoke and having a cam member for swinging the toggles to release the yoke from the jaw, and an aerial device that engages the yoke to carry it off and engages'the trip to operate it and release the yoke from the aw.

3. In article exchange mechanism, the combination with a support, of an article carrying yoke, means for detachably mounting the yoke on the support including a pair of pivotally mounted jaws that detachably engage the yoke at separated points, sets of toggle links engaged with the aws to hold them in their said engaged positions, and an upwardly swinging trip located above the yoke and jaws and having cams that engage the toggle links to move them and cause the jaws to move away from the yoke.

4. In article exchange mechanism, the combination with a support, of an article carrying yoke, means for detachably mounting the yoke on the support including a pair of pivotally mounted jaws that detachably engage the yoke at separated points, sets of toggle links engaged with the aws to hold'them in their said engaged positions, an upwardly swinging trip located above the yoke and jaws and havingcams that-engage the toggle links to move them and cause the jaws to move away from the yoke, and an aerial head having means for engaging the yoke to carry it out of the support and for engaging the trip to swing it.

5. In an article exchange mechanism, the combination with an article carrying yoke, of means for detachably supporting the yoke, an aerial device for engaging the yoke and removing it from the supporting means, and an upwardly movable baiile above and spaced from the yoke supporting means and engaged by the aerial device on its movement for guiding the aerial device.

6. In an article exchange mechanism, the combination with an article carrying yoke, of means for detachably supporting the yoke, an aerial device for engaging the yoke and removing it from the supporting means, and a ,baflie plate p-ivotally and yieldinglymountedi above, the yoke. and engaged by the aerial device on its movement for guiding the aerial device.

7. an article exchange mechanism, the combination with a support having a guideway' and a socket at the rear-end of the guideway,ot an; article carrying yoke that detachabl y engages in the socket and projects into the guide-way, holding jaws that detachably engage opposite sides of the yoke, toggles comprising pivotally connectedlinks that are connected to; the jaws for holding them; in engagement with the yoke, and moving then-1 out oiv such engagement, a forked trip device havingca-ms that engage the toggles to break the same and move the jaws to inoperative positions, a forked b-afiie pivoted between; the trip; deviceand yoke, and anaerial transfer ,head that is movable into the yoke and engages the baifie and trip deviceto operate the latter and be guided by theeformer.

8'. In an article exchange mechanism, the combinationwith a support, of a yoke that is detachably mounted in the support, an aerial head that is movable into the yoke to detach it; from the support, a second yoke that detachably embraces the head, means for detachably holding the second yoke on the head, and means. engaged by the first yoke when it becomes" associated with the head for releasing the second yoke from the holding means.

9. In an article combination with a support, of a yoke that is detachably'mounted in the support, an aerial head that is movable into the yoke to detach it from the support, a second yoke that detachably embraces the head, holding fingers movably mounted on the head for detachably hol'di'ng the second yoke on said head, and means on the head engaged by the first yoke when it becomes associated with the head for releasing the second yoke from the holding means.

10. In an article exchange mechanism,the combination with a support, of a yoke that is detachably mounted in the support, an aerial head that is movable into the yoke to detach it from the support, a second yoke that detachably embraces the head,holding finger members movably mounted on the head and projecting therefrom to form supports for the second yoke, and trip means movably mounted on the head above the fingers and connected to the latter to move the same and release the second yoke, said trip means being engaged and" operated by the'first yoke when it encircles the head.

11. In an article exchange mechanism, the combination with a support, of a yoke that is detachably mounted in the support, an aerial head that is movable into the yoke to detach it from the support, a second yoke that deexchange mechanism, the

tachably embraces the head, holding finger members movably mounted on the head and projecting therefrom to form supports for the second yoke, and trip means movably mounted on the head above the fingers and connected to the latter to move the same and release the second yoke, said trip means being engaged and operated by the first yoke when it encircles the head, and said finger members operating to allow the first yoke to pass and become engaged by the finger members.

12. In an article exchange mechanism, the combination with a support, of a yoke that is detachably mounted in the support, an aerial head that is movable into the yoke to detach it from the support, and a second yoke that embraces the head and is removable therefrom, said head comprising an elongated tubular body supporting fingers pivotally mounted on the body and projecting therefrom below the second yoke to normally sup port it, trip fingers pivotally mounted on the body above the supporting fingers and adapted to be engaged and operated by the first yoke, and means Within the body and c0nnecting the trip and supporting fingers to cause the former to operate the latter.

13. In an article exchange mechanism, the combination with a support, of a yoke that is detachably mounted in the support, an aerial head that is movable into the yoke to detach it from the support, and a second yoke that embraces the head and is removable therefrom, said head comprising an elongated tubular body supporting fingers pivotally mounted on the body and projecting therefrom below the second yoke to normally support it, trip fingers pivotally mounted on the body above the supporting fingers and adapted to be engaged and operated by the first yoke, and means within the body and con necting the trip and supporting fingers to cause the former to operate the latter, and spring meansreturning the fingers to their operative positions, said trip fingerspermitting the passage of the first yoke past the same to the supporting fingers.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

ROBERT N. JOHNSTON. 

